NAGE/SEIU Federal Division Condemns Shutdown Threats and Permanent Job Cuts

Director Lee Blackmon joins AFGE in calling out the administration’s reckless and unlawful actions against federal workers.

NAGE/SEIU Federal Director Lee Blackmon calls on Congress to end the shutdown immediately.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 8, 2025) - At a joint press conference with the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), NAGE/SEIU Federal Division Director Lee Blackmon delivered a powerful message: federal employees are not political pawns.

“For decades, federal employees have kept our country running — through wars, crises, and shutdowns,” said Blackmon. “Using a shutdown to threaten permanent job cuts and withhold lawful pay is unprecedented, cruel, and harmful to both workers and the American public.”

Blackmon emphasized that converting a temporary shutdown into a Reduction in Force (RIF) would mean permanent job loss, disrupted benefits, and devastating harm to families and communities.

“Federal workers deserve respect, stability, and fair treatment — not political punishment,” Blackmon said.

She also reminded the public that the Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019, signed by then-President Trump, guarantees back pay for furloughed federal workers. Reports that the administration is considering ignoring this law represent “a blatant violation and intimidation tactic.”

NAGE/SEIU Federal Division is calling on Congress to reach a bipartisan funding agreement that protects Americans, respects the federal workforce, and ends the shutdown immediately.

“NAGE will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with our members and fight back against any attempt to dismantle the federal workforce,” Blackmon affirmed.